Handle for vacuum cleaners, etc.



July 17, 1928.

' w. L. LINDGREN ML: Fox VACUUI cmms', m

Filed June 17. 1924' f/vl/z/vralfi" OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOB, BY

PATENT OFFICE. r

nnmc'r um Imam:

ASSIGNMENTS, '10. ALFRED A. NORTON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

HANDLE FOB VACUUI CLEANERS, ETC.

Application filed m 11, 1924, Serial no. 720,500.

My invention is concerned with handles for carpet sweepers, vacuum cleaners and the like, and is designed to produce such a handle provided with tween it and the casing or other portion of the operating device to hold the handle locked in a vertical ora substantially'vertical position, so that the device can .be put away in a-corner Without the handle falling down, and so that, with the handle locked in position, it can be carried about by the handle without the sweeper being free to swing relative to the handle.

To illustrate my invention, I annex here- 'to a sheet of drawings, in which the same referenceycharacters are used to designate identical parts in all'the figures, of-which,-

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a carpet sweeper having my invention appliedtherev to, such, for instance, as is shown in my Patent No. 1,458,714, granted June 12, 1923. Fig. 2 is a central, vertical section of a portion of the apparatus showing the locking mechanism; and

Fig. 3 is a detail of a portion of the locking lever on a larger scale than Fig. 2, which in turn is on a larger scale than Fig. 1. v

I have shown my invention as applied to a vacuum cleaner having a casing comprising among other partsthe nozzle a, ,thefan casing 12 and the gear casing a, the apparatusbeing supported upon the pair d, the shaft 6 of which is shown in Fig. 2.

Pivoted to the lug f secured on the back of the fan casing 12 is the locking lever g, which is of the shape clearly shown in Fig. 2, and has the abutment h to engage the rear of the ,fan casing and limit the possible upward movement of the locking lever under the stress of the coiled spring 7', which is suitably wound about the fulcrum-of the .lever g and has. its ends co-operating with the back of the fan casing 72 and with the under side of the lever g, aswill .be readily apparent-from Fig. 2.

The handle is is of any desired construction and is preferably provided with the yoke Z, the arms of which are, preferably fulcrumed on lugs extending upward from the bearing sleeves m which project from the sides of the gear casingc, lines in Fig. 2. The locking lever q is provided with the locking recess 11., which has at least a portion of the sides ofthe recess catch mechanism be-.

4 p l g firdlyfrom' the yoke Z in the same at right angles to the general direcof wheels as seen in dotted verticaland parallel as to co-operate with the parallel edges of the locking membero, I

which preferably consists of a small hardened plate. secured'by screws p on the lug q proper plane so that the locking member 0 will cooperate with the locking lever g. This lever preferably has the pedal portion r formed on" its lower end .byturning the tion of the lever bar.

The operation of the device will be readily apparent-. When the device is in use the handle Wlll be at the angle shown in Fig. 1

and in Fig. 2 in full lines, where the locking members are out of action, and the abutment h is preferably so designed that the locking member 0 will not contact with the locking lever 9 until tze handle. approaches its vertical position, at which time it en gages with the locking lever and cams the same down to the position shown indotted lines in Fig. 2, in which the spring j is put under increased tension and operates effectively to hold the locking member 0 in the notch n when the handle read es the desired vertical position. This spring is strong enough and the apparatus is so constructe that it is unnecessary to keep the hand on the handle while moving it up to vertical position, as it can be thrown, as it were, to said vertical position and still operate to lock the same when said vertical position is reached. With the handle thus locked,- the device can be lifted from the floor and carried around without any movement of the casing relativeto the handle. When it is to be used, the locking mechanism can be released either .by stepping on the treadle rso as to bring the locking lever-still farther below the dotted-line position of Fig. 2, or if'it is desired, the release can be effected simply by pulling down. strongly on the handle la 1w ile holding the sweeper from movement relative to the handle, as the sha e of the latchin lever and the position of tlie fulcrums-of t e handle and lever are such that the downward pull onthe' handle tends, through the action of the locking lug 0 on the co-oper'ating side of the notch n, to force the locking lever to swing downward against the resistance of the spring To facilitate this action, I may round off or bevel the upper corner of the recess a, as shown in Fig. 3. When the locking lever is forced down, say no by stepping on the treadlc portion 1', the

capable of modifications, and that I do not desire to be limited to the interpretation of the following claims except as may be necessitated b the state of the prior art.

What ,iclai as new, and desire to secure I byLetter's Patent of the United States, is:

v 1.111 a device of the class described, the combination with'a casing, of a handle pivf oted thereto and adapted to swing from an inclined to a substantially vertical position, a spring-pressed latch lever having a recess with Vertical edges pivoted to the casing, and a latch member .on the handle co-operating with the vertical edges of the recess to lock the handle from swinging movement relative to the casing in either direction while the latch remains in its operative position, said latch lever having the portion adjacent the recess shaped so that as the latch member swings 11 toward the recess it finally engages the sur ace of the latch lever before it reaches the recess so as to put the spring under increased tension. 1

2. In a. device of the class described, the combination with a casing, of a handle pivoted thereto and adapted to swing from an inclined to a-substantially vertical position, a spring-pressed latch lever having a recess with vertical edges pivoted to the casing, and a latch member on the handle co-operating with the vertical edges of the recess to lock the handle from swinging movement relative to the casing in either direction while the latch remains in its operative position, said latch lever having the 'ortion adjacent the recess shaped so that as the latch member swings up toward the recess it engages the surface of the latch lever before it reaches thereeess so as to put the spring under increased tension, and also having an abutment to engage the casing and limit its upward movement so that the latch member does not engage the latch lever when the handle is in its working position. v y

In witness whereof, I have hereunto'set my hand.

WALDEMAR L. LINDGREN. 

